I’d like to buy some vowels and consonants and keep on listening even when it gets dissonant Squinting when it gets too dark to see just where the vision went Thinking about the future Calculations only as accurate as the back of this envelope Wrote a list of assumptions and then the pencil broke I wonder what it means whether it does or doesn’t swing Keep the bright colors hidden like an underwing Keep the mouth shut no mumbling Hold tight no fumbling Until it’s time to drop it like an argument Let’s just say I’m on some shit Whatever it is I got no time for it I promise you this I mean truly who’s got the time? I’m grandfather clocking you my rap moniker is not the greatest But I’ll stick with that and keep hooking these phonics up In full color on the hd monitor Behind the curtain more curtains And raw feelings the paint peeling the mind reeling divine dealings between trips to buy the grocery list I climb the walls beyond the ceiling I’m up on the roof You can see everything from here Chorus: It’s the sea, brother, that we hover over Bearing the weight of the world on our shoulders It’s the sea, brother, that we hover over Nothing’s wrong, everything is working how it’s supposed to Born alone, die alone, browse alone, buy alone On the phone, hold all my calls, watch the throne Become increasingly irrelevant, every last niche inhabited No crown, but heavy is the head With that existential dread One of the benefits of getting out of bed Is you can get some effing bread and also get out of your head Maybe hear some birds chirping Take in some light from the sun that the earth’s circling Instead of speaking for the trees try to listen to ‘em And maybe even get some tips to be a better human Who knows?

Say what you will I stay intrigued by the drums, chopped and looped Searching for the perfect beat, stay in hot pursuit If it exists probably Image got the proof It hits hard like you got socked in the tooth There’s no particular message that I’ve got to get through Making this movie but I’m watching it too Editing’s the real trick The rest is just spaghetti at the wall, trying to make it stick Much harder to peel it off and scrape the surface clean Break it down and search for an emerging theme in the wreckage Add special effects, roll the credits Get rid of the body leaving just an outline, it’s like a murder scene Detective work to discover just what the words could mean Hard to earn it seems, got to get it by any means Probably just a riddle if it’s anything at all No reason to ever walk to the store Digital wallet full of bitcoin Searching for the perfect time to make my next move and Keep on finding excuses, staying on my bullshit Still putting the plane together as it takes off Day seven arrived, but I couldn’t take a day off Juggling schedules, adjusting to the evil that men do (myself included) Keep my hands at ten and two This place is a pile of shit but has some good bones, some real potential Drawing up some plans, sharpening my pencil According to the methods of David Rees Life’s a beach, it just happens to be twenty thousand leagues beneath The coral’s bleached And all around it’s bright lights and big teeth I’m running around this submarine plugging the leaks It’s high pressure, it’s just a figure of speech

Time is a terrible thing to waste but it’s so convenient I’m climbing with no intention to reach the zenith All about that process Money is very literally no object This is the creation of art it’s not content Constantly discontent with this nonsense we’re presented with It’s a farce We all gotta play our part Wide awake in the dark Dissect the data, make a beautiful chart Startling Pardon me, I’m excited by the art of the thing Learning how to deal It’s a flat circle, might as well take your hands off of the wheel Fishtailing Everything that glitters doesn’t need to be revealed Still, that light of creation, what a steal Got to learn to keep my mouth shut but you can understand the appeal Don’t know how to fish but I still need a meal That daily bread Buying life insurance or putting a price on your head? Neither one’s negotiable I’m choking on the price Hard to believe the way we value life But still, if I’m gone then send a check to my wife The system sucks but we can still have some things that are nice [Joshua Virtue second verse]

It doesn’t serve you, sure as hell doesn’t serve me Maybe it’s war but I would still like to believe that we can learn peace The problem quickly becomes one of maintaining Got more than was bargained for Bad technique in the art of war Painting with overly broad brushstrokes Made a couple omelettes with the crushed yolks Bridges burned, guess it’s just the only way the kid’ll learn Look but leap first Try to keep one foot in the green earth all the while No man is an island but I’m an isthmus Hanging on, always listening Looking for solutions in the body of the text Searching for solutions in the body Searching for solutions in the body The circulation, delicate exchange of poison in the veins and the capillaries But the poison remains Play the game Stick a black square from instagram on Sal’s wall of fame It’s all about how it’s framed Call it part of an initiative for diversity equity and inclusion Scratch that off the list and then get back to what you’ve been doing It’s a movement but we need to be patient Time is a terrible thing to waste and yet… In this great future you can’t forget your past But we’re trying by any means necessary I’m sure those chickens won’t come home to roost, no need to worry Had a dream Wonder what it means Saw a statue of Radio Raheem It burned down, police didn’t even approach the scene Just watched the ashes scatter in the wind Laughing, hey it’s happening again Watch the S1Ws play the body doubles for the panthers Da Mayor won’t provide any answers Apocalypse 91 but the many sequels are worth seeing No justice but the people do need something to believe in

Doing more with less, the most with the least Humble ingredients make the feast Ain’t shit changed but the chickpeas got crispy Dig deep, write another think piece The ink drips Looking for a pattern in the ink blot Breathe deep, aiming to think not Step in the right direction So many people trying to play lead guitar, stairway to heaven Amp at eleven I’d rather play the rhythm with integrity Hand in glove, down here on the ground same as above The walls are bugged but no one’s listening Both of these eyelids twitching Feel something in the blood as it floods the system Circular breath, familiar rhythms Never the same river I pledge allegiance to my cosmic god, new translation of the scripture Rapture Step into the now instead of the hereafter Going nowhere pedaling backwards Medical grade laughter I got like this close to giving up And then decided I’m supposed to give a fuck No way to really know if you did enough So just keep going It’s all brand new in each moment for better or worse Keep it in drive and never reverse Fight the urge to park here It’s dark, yeah, but that could mean the dawn’s coming With the king in check, the pawns running like they stole something Don’t be asking stupid questions, I know nothing About the bright light that’s oncoming But I’m curious

Rocking shit on any beat Turn it into chocolate chips, semi-sweet Bitter notes make it complete Rounding out the flavor Write it down and sound it out, catch the meaning later Dance on the drums like no one’s watching Land on the one, I hope but if not then Catch the loop when it comes back around again Spending time I wish that it was counterfeit Or at the very least fungible But sand just keeps running through the hourglass Bad ones, you’re bound to catch one or two But no need for alarm, just keep calm and get comfortable Catch an L, take solace that someone got the W Probably no one’s aiming at your bubble goose But do you really want to risk it? Metaphoric chess board laid out and every move’s exquisite But there’s collateral damage from the attack and you lose a bishop In a few moves the shift is obvious Never know when the ball you’re dropping is the keystone That held it all together Lot of moving parts Lot of truth in art That’s why I shoot these darts Not a fool but start to question that conclusion when the movie starts And I don’t know how to act Line please I’m watching Netflix but not chilling Thoughts just keep spilling over, my cup runneth Ain’t nothing funny so who’s laughing? Still don’t nothing move but electrons across these synapses It’s constant practice, I’m on that shit I don’t tolerate half wits It’s just regular space time fabric but make it fashion

[Defcee] Broken record skip til it warp Chip off the brick that they fit in the fort As a line of defense, I kick science with a hitch. My logic’s like survivalism flipped, In the middle of a bearhug, dyin in the clinch. Acceptance is a burden and denial is a cinch. Warhol was right…I’m goin viral in a bit, Heard you’ll only like me when it’s lit. Sick. Pappy Mason plug price. Larry David love life Their crew? Trash heap, dirtballs, dustmites. Roundhouse kick knock a flat earther upright. Rappers so annoying that their blood type’s bug bite. Icing on the bundt slice, cash in advance. You can tell I rhyme how I chat with my hands. Seventh-round pick in the draft, I’m the man. Delusion is a drug, lemme snap up a gram. Live from Planet Rap Game, take me to your budget. Scrollin down the timeline, skate across the sufferin. Peace in a lockbox, grief in a bank vault. Hurtin feelings cuz ya feelings hurt…I hate y’all. Twenty-twenty-one jumped the shark, built an ark up. Winds of change came, rearranged with a HARP gun. Defconzip, rippin light from the wormhole. Yeah it’s random but that’s just how the verse goes. What! [garfunkle] Thoughts churning like a steam engine Rockets red glare, knee bending Bad dreams, couldn’t seem to change the channel So I just went back to playing the piano This place isn’t big enough for the both of us but maybe it’s expandable The world’s always got some brand new demands for you The best players might improvise but still they got a plan or two Building space they might expand into Old ideas abandoned to the highest bidder Going once, twice, three times If this doesn’t blow your mind go ahead and press rewind If that doesn’t work then maybe turn it up If that doesn’t work then maybe turn it off, you probably heard enough Appetite for destruction I worked it up Brothers gonna work it out Spread the good news, word of mouth Or else leverage a social media presence Build the brand’s essence Came up with a plan and then jetted If it works out I’ll claim credit If not I wasn’t even there

The sky was gray with a light breeze I saw the clock freeze From behind me, on my left shoulder I felt a light squeeze Wonder who that might be Despite my better judgement I turned around to see...

I can’t recall whether Work is a song by Gang Starr or Thelonious Monk I’m putting in work I’ve got to let ‘em know Felt it so I’ve got to let it go Progression is ever so slight Never know what it might be It’s always something I can’t quite see Don’t know the tune, I’m trying to sight read Sing along whether you know the words or not Might say the key was b minor Doing fine but yeah, things could be finer Nothing’s final, it’s a work in progress, only time will tell Only way to go is up but still you’ve got to climb that hill My mind sharp as a diamond drill Objection, that’s not material Decide where the ones and zeros go It’s real life but it’s oat milk on your cereal And it’s fine The world is brave and new The images are not graven, it’s digital Designed by AI, the machines learning to stay low and keep churning until the final curtain It’s working the lines are blurring There’s eight million stories this is my version

Chorus: I see no other option Keep on moving forward Pete Sampras with the topspin Do it for the love, dancing like nobody’s watching Dancing like Elaine Benes, the game’s tennis I do it for the love, it’s all for nothing Half of what I say is meaningless The rest is open to interpretation A couple well-placed phrases will have the tension on the surface breaking With every syllable I’m trying to find the perfect placement Life ain’t shit but I don’t know if I’d run a damned thing different Body is both a wonder land and a prison In the hourglass that sand keeps sifting I’m trying to make it and that plan ain’t shifted SpongeBob the whole operation underwater Only one god, e pluribus In this novus ordo seclorum Feeling awesome but often overtaken by boredom Well I just play it to play it Trying to get that Elon Musk paper, buy my own fucking spaceship Piles of cash in the dresser drawer next to the clenched fist of the monkey’s paw There’s always something more Can’t recall what I’m running from, what I’m running for Running on a mixture of caffeine and muscle memory Call that a hustle if you’re feeling generously I expected that the winter might end eventually But not just yet First you got to truly understand the nature of the cold It’s more than just the absence of heat, it’s a presence Buried deep in the bones, expanding through every crevice Bird in hand gets poisoned then we pull out all the feathers Two in the bush won’t fare any better If you disagree with the tactics spare me the lecture I’m in the kitchen with the heat but couldn’t handle the pressure Can’t count the number of times that I wrote but didn’t send my resignation letter Thanks for the opportunity but it’s just not for me Chorus

We come rumbling through the function One take, no punch-in Drumbreaks stay crunchy Image on the ones and twos, got it how you want it and stay hungry Kobayashi at the competition These sounds will have you seeing visions Feel like you’re getting lifted on some little kid shit Might not want to operate any heavy equipment If you’re a day and a dollar late there’s probably no forgiveness And no forgetting Not sure why I’m still here I came for the refreshments and stuck around Made a couple bad bets and doubled down Can’t identify just what the trouble is Middle path is a labyrinth Found a happy place, trying to inhabit it I’m down the hole where the rabbit went Every shiny object got me trying to grab it like I got to have it Didn’t need it after all, should’ve seen it coming But kept on running Looking for a technique to touch something

No time to sleep, I’m trying to get up and then do some things Don’t want to score points and then end up on the losing team I let the music breathe like Bill Evans on blue in green How I do my thing is using loops like hula hoops Moving through the scene like Gene Kelly up the walls But no camera trickery I thought the goal was getting moola, oops Wrong target entirely I’m Pino Palladino how I’m sliding in behind the beat Bullseye If it’s beef, it’s already deaded I’m killing sacred cows and if I pay for that I’m paying on credit Low interest but I’m paying attention Eyes wide open, I stay sentient You’re already behind if you don’t act quickly Pace myself through this marathon but sprint through the last fifty Just stand here in the back with me, watch the wolves act friendly But those teeth can flash quickly Look at all these people hurting All beasts are beasts of burden It’s only human Yeah it’s broken but you’ve got to keep it working Made in that image but go ahead and take a peek beneath the curtain See what’s lurking Disease everyplace Good reason to stay masked up just in case like Mach Hommy or metal face Absorb the shock calmly at first and feel the impact later Settle down, make a home right here in the impact crater The invisible hand just stacks paper Let them eat cake even if it lacks flavor Causes cancer and costs an arm and a leg The world wants omelettes, got to keep cracking these eggs

When it comes to god I’m not a yes man but I’ll never know I am bothered by the cold, can’t seem to let it go You say we’re going to get there, but then you pedal slow But then again who knows Maybe the differences are undetectable This is not the same place I’d been before The grass used to be greener here Lot of folks don’t seem to be aware Or else don’t share my sensibilities I breathe the air exhaled by a million trees And even the humble weeds, bitter dandelion greens and thistles This work is both essential and invisible Just looking for some nooks and crannies I could dig into Always new but it’s a ritual I’m on edge, hoping that the center holds Only accidentally cynical Cold, but I’m wearing my winter coat It’s for protection from the elements Correct answer is all of the above if you question my intelligence Tend to get caught up in the details even if they’re not relevant But I can breathe deep in the weeds But I can breathe deep in the weeds